'We Are Moving Towards An Extremely Conservative Society': Ratna Pathak Shah

The actor will next be seen in Tarun Dudeja's 'Dhak Dhak'.

Ratna Pathak Shah.

(Photo: IANS)

Ratna Pathak Shah in a recent interview opened up about her views on how the Indian society at large is moving towards becoming an extremely conservative society. She also spoke about how modern Indian women were suddenly practising archaic traditions. Underlining, that women are the most affected in all the conservative societies in the world.

She told Pinkvilla, "Nothing has changed for women, or very little has changed in very crucial areas...Our society is becoming extremely conservative. We're becoming superstitious, we're being forced into accepting and making religion a very important part of one's life."

"Someone asked me for the first time last year if I'm keeping 'karwa chauth ka vrat (observing karwa chauth)'. I said, 'Am I mad?' Isn't it appalling that modern educated women do karwa chauth, praying for the lives of husbands so that they can have some validity in life? Widow in the Indian context is a horrible situation, isn't it? So anything that keeps me away from widowhood. Really? In the 21st century, we are talking like this? Educated women are doing this," she added.

She also went on to add, "We are moving towards an extremely conservative society. The first thing a conservative society does is clamp down on its women. Look at all the conservative societies in this world. Women are the ones who are most affected. What's the scope of women in Saudi Arabia? Do we want to become like Saudi Arabia? And we will become because it's very very convenient. Women provide a lot of unpaid labour within the home. If you have to pay for that labour, who will do it? Women are forced into that situation."

The actor will next be seen in the film Dhak Dhak.